I did see that, I had no idea it would make such a difference.

Does it necessarily mean that the plant is better quality?
Or just took more work to produce.

Check this out, Oak Hill has a Blooming Size plant in a similar size pot for even cheaper:
Oak Hill Gardens

Hmmm, I guess not necessarily a better quality but has known parents. That would make it more desirable to some folks. Especially if they have a breeding program going that would benefit from this.
It might have taken years to produce by breeding the best from one "mating" to the best from another and so on and so on.
Really getting in over my head here and I don't breed. Others must have some ideas why Big Leaf's is priced as it is.

Al

Al, You're spot on. The plants of known quality are tightly held by breeders and rarely offered. Big Leaf does carry some less expensive plants but catering to breeders who are willing to pay top dollar for good genes is their niche. I'm not saying that Oak Hill sells poor quality plants, but they focus more on quantity and variety. I like Oak Hill, and I recently bought a few plants from them. I also made a recent purchase from Big Leaf. They're both great in my opinion, just very different specialties.

Putting a price on a plant is difficult. Like pricing a dog. It's worth whatever a buyer is willing to pay. Some adopt mutts from the pound (like me), some only buy pure breeds, and some pay gobs of money for the offspring of a best in show.

Thanks Royal, that was what I was trying to say. :-)

AL

Update on situation.

Patience is a Virtue... apparently.

I have been putting cash to one side for when I visit the Tatton Park Show (UK) on June 5th/6th
Even booked the weekend off so I can go on the Saturday and not miss out on the sale side of things.

I'm hoping against hope that I can locate one of the ones on my wish list at the Show. Primarily an equestris.
I should have around a £50 Budget.

Just over one month to go and the waiting is Killing Me!
Yes I could go and buy of the net, but this will be my first Orchid Show and it's given me chance to save up. Plus I get to see the plant up close and personal first :)
I know what I'm looking for and explained to Hubby what to look out for as well as showing him a couple of pics.

I just hope that around £50 is enough for a good specimen (maybe two)... Should be shouldn't it?
:crossfing

If anyone has been to the Tatton Park Orchid Show before and can tell me what to expect, that would be appreciated.
Plus any tips for an Orchid Show First Timer would also be welcome.

PS Thanks all for the info in the above posts on Pricing and Quality.

Not sure how the prices are in the UK but in the States with that sum you can get a very nice cultivar.

Well I'm late to the party, but I was going to suggest Mini Mark.

Burnham Nursary (down in Devon) sells Mini Mark for arround £25. I think they will be going to Tatton as they do a lot of the shows so maybe they will take some.

I bought one from them back in March and a spike has been growing very fast on it. They said they usually have them in flower, but I was unlucky with my timeing. I don't care because this spike is shooting up.

I think £50 could get you a couple of decent Phals. I would expect them to range from arround £15 to £30 in most cases and I've seen both species and registered hybrids for that sort of price on UK websites.

equestris is another I would suggest, although I don't have one myself yet, it's very high on my wish list. A quick search online found equestis var. Rosa for £14.99.

I just found an equestris at a local orchid grower, it was $25 US dollars. I thought it was a decent price but I'm waiting for Redlands. It was VERY hard to walk away from, I didn't realize the flowers were so tiny! One of the cutest, most petite looking flowers and plant!